CISCOE MORRIS

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, July 15, 2005

Late blight is the fungus disease that caused the great potato famine in Ireland in the 1840s and is the reason my grandma, Maude O'Hara, was born in this country. The disease usually attacks potatoes and tomatoes, but it can attack peppers and eggplant as well. Symptoms begin with black streaking in the leaves and stems, but by the time you notice that, your tomato is on the way out and will collapse into a slimy mess within hours. Once infested, the fruit is inedible. The key to controlling late blight is to prevent the leaves from staying wet for long periods. Begin by spacing your tomatoes far enough apart to allow for good air circulation. Then water by using soaker hoses. Stake your tomatoes and allow no more than four main stems per plant. Prune off all leaves within 5 inches of the soil and remove sprouts growing from branching points to prevent crowded foliage. Sprays are available at garden centers, but to be effective they must be used on a regular basis before the disease is present. For a 100 percent effective, non-chemical method to control the disease, build a structure that can be covered with clear plastic to keep dew and rain off the stems and leaves.

Cut back browning Tradescantia

Tradescantia x andersoniana (spiderwort) is an East Coast native sporting clumps of grassy leaves and attractive three-petal flowers that come in purple, blue, white or pink. Each flower lasts only a day, but usually plenty of flowers take their place the following day. Eventually all buds in the clusters bloom themselves out. If your plant is vigorous, cut to lateral bud clusters that you'll find forming lower on the stem. If, on the other hand, the foliage begins to brown and flop, cut all stems to within an inch of the ground. Keep the soil moist and fertilize with alfalfa meal or an organic flower food. New lush foliage will emerge within about three weeks and hopefully your plant will rebloom for the rest of summer. Unless you like looking like a hippie, don't make the mistake I did and prune Tradescantia while wearing a new white T-shirt. The purple flowers leave stains, and to this day, my shirt looks like it was tie-dyed.

Cut back spent hardy geraniums

Hardy geraniums are the workhorses of the perennial border. They come in a staggering array of flower colors, sizes and growth habits and can fulfill the role of everything from ground cover to mid-border accent plant.

The foliage on some varieties of hardy geranium such as 'Johnson's Blue' and Geranium phaeum 'Mourning Widow' turns ratty and is susceptible to powdery mildew soon after the plants finish blooming.

Cut the stems to within a couple of inches of the ground immediately after bloom ends. As long as you provide adequate moisture and nutrition, the foliage will quickly grow back fresh and attractive, and the plant will rebloom.

Try it a second time when the next blossoming period ends. If you give them what they need (and talk to them nice), many hardy geraniums can be coaxed into blooming three times per season.